Stanford coach David Shaw explains his two-a-day practice strategy

I wrote a blog Wednesday criticizing Stanford football coach David Shaw for seemingly opposing the NCAA decision to prohibit a two-a-day practices. In my view, Shaw was being short-sighted, wanting more practices to instill his game plans at the expense of his players’ well-being.

I took this stance 10 days after seeing former 49ers receiver Dwight Clark at an event at San Francisco’s City Hall. I sat behind Clark during the event. I saw him clutching his wife’s hand. I saw him laugh and smile at his young daughter and my heart broke. Clark recently revealed his fight against ALS, and he looked hale and hearty for a man struck by such a devastating disease.

I couldn’t help but think about the struggle ahead for Clark – a truly humble and charismatic person – and his family as the progressive disease takes its toll.

As Clark mentioned in the public statement about his condition, there’s a growing connection between blows to the head and the development of ALS. Playing football for much of his life, including eight years in the NFL, could have led to Clark’s disease.

Eight days after that, I read in the Chronicle that Shaw was “not excited” about the elimination of two-a-day practices and I got angry.

How can Shaw say such a thing? How can he seemingly want more exposure by his players to potential trauma? So I dashed off a post expressing my displeasure of Shaw and the fraternity of NCAA coaches.

What I didn’t do was give Shaw the opportunity to explain what he meant by keeping the second practice.

So Shaw called me to explain what he meant.

First, the NCAA typically allows coaches’ input on practice changes but that didn’t happen this time.

If it did, what Shaw would propose would be a morning, non-padded practice, based mostly on individual drills. Then after a period of rest and nourishment, players would come back for a padded practice, again mostly based on individual and position drills, where contact is limited.

In Shaw’s view, his two-a-day strategy would prepare his players properly to protect themselves in games, and at the same time, limit exposure to additional hits and possible head trauma in those practices.

Coming from Shaw, this strategy makes sense particularly since Shaw has a reputation for protecting players. When wide receiver Francis Owusu sustained a serious concussion against UCLA in 2016, Shaw immediately pressed the NCAA to deem the forehead as well as the crown of the helmet as a weapon. Owusu was concussed when struck by the front of the defender’s helmet.

Consequently, because of Shaw, if players use the crown of the helmet, OR the forehead as a weapon in striking another player, they can be penalized and possibly ejected.

Shaw’s clarification and concrete history of promoting player safety, made me re-think my initial criticism of his opposition to eliminating two-a-day practices.

In the end, Shaw and I both agreed that the rule changes and practice limitations at all levels of football could spare players like Clark an awful fate in the future, is which something players, coaches are journalists all truly desire.